Wednesday, January 27, 2016

On Baptism

Lk tells us about the
political context during the time of John Baptist. Palestine is occupied and
people may have been feeling the occupation as eternal. Pontius Pilate has been
ruling with blood (Lk13/1) and Herod, allied with Rome, reigned in Galilee
(13/31). The population is weighed down by taxes and military violence. Land
tillers see their lands grabbed. Religious authorities take the beasts from people for Temple practices. The Temple and its
sanctuary has become a place for bandits.

John is son of Zechariah, a
Temple priest. He is from the sacerdotal class that exercises office in the
Temple. John is part of that class. But John is not in Jerusalem; he is far
from the Temple; he is in the Jordan river—that place where, once upon a time,
the Hebrew people passed to enter Canaan. For John it is time to begin all over
again. It is time to cross the Jordan river again. The axe is on the tree roots—the
tree of “civilization”. John sounds “subversive”.

What must one do? John says
to share, stop accumulating, get out of the “malls”, stop consumerism, stop
destroying the ecology—change. Change our life styles. Change our behavior. Stop
violating the common good. Stop violence.

The word “baptism” may make
us think of the ritual that allows us to be members of a club; members of an
institution. Perhaps it is a membership with perks obtained. But for John it
means a “plunge”; a jump into the water. It means inviting the oppressed and
marginalized to open up to the Messiah; it means option to change.

Well, John will later have
his head chopped. This time, however, it is Jesus who plunges in the Jordan.
The incarnation tells us that Jesus identifies with humanity—with all flesh.
That incarnation orients to the priority given to the “little ones”, the
oppressed and marginalized.

Baptism means then for us
also a plunge. We plunge into the sacred—the fire and breath. It means discipleship
with Jesus; be plunged in his own mission against the domination of darkness
and sin.

Our Christianity can be
vain—in the way we live it. Yes, we turn our Church into an “club”; we get
baptized and have our “ID-cards”. But do we want change? Do we want a better
society of justice? Do we have concern for the little ones? Are we really
plunged into the mission of Christ? Do we opt for change of our ways against
the destruction of the environment? Do we try to make our world more habitable,
with cleaner air and water? And so we need to review our understanding of
Baptism. It is to be plunged into discipleship.